68 THE FLORAL WORLD AND GARDEN GUIDE. 



breathings of incense every day throughout the year, and in spring- 

 time especially make the garden where they are to be found in plenty 

 a living poem, which all may read and rejoice in who have eyes to see 

 and hearts that beat. But in making such an objection to the bedding 

 system it was always hard to be understood. One of our most enthu- 

 siastic admirers, who carries the Ploral World with him to all parts of 

 the country, and vows it to be the only book in which amateurs may 

 implicitly trust, met us last summer in the grounds of the Crystal Palace, 

 and the very first words he uttered after greetings had been exchanged 

 were these — " What a mistake it is of you to complain of the march of 

 the bedding system ! Is not this a grand display, which it would be im- 

 possible to produce by means of border flowers ?" There are some 

 arguments so fallacious, that when they are seriously propounded there 

 seems to be but one way of dealing with them ; and that is, to let people 

 believe them if they will, for to refute them is a waste of strength. I 

 felt as if just such an argument had been levelled at me in the question of 

 my friend ; and instead of making a long speech in vindication of all I had 

 written on the subject, I contented myself by replying, " This is a grand 

 display, it could be produced in no other way than that which has been 

 adopted ; and in such a place as this, it is most appropriate and moreover 

 useful." All that I thought itprudent toattempt inthe course of adelight- 

 ful conversation was to this effect, that though we expect to find at the 

 Crystal Palace, Kew, Hampton Court, and such places, good collections 

 of all the most ornamental and interesting hardy plants, we expect 

 above all things to see examples of the best styles of bedding ; for it is 

 only during the summer months that our great public gardens are 

 frequented by large numbers of people, and for large numbers there is 

 no better entertainment than a grand display of floral colouring. 



But let it not be supposed that we object to bedding exhibitions in 

 small gardens ; nothing of the sort. When a certain reasonable pro- 

 portion of the space at the gardener's disposal is allotted for bedders we 

 will helphim,to theutmost of ourability,to make a good display; butwhen 

 the garden is used only as a receptacle for bedders — when neat conserva- 

 tories, that ought to be always gay with flowers, are stuffed full all the 

 winter with geraniums and verbenas instead of camellias, genistas, cine- 

 rarias, and primulas — when the only beds to be found on the place are 

 those used for the bedding plants, and which are consequently empty and 

 useless seven months of the year — and when the borders are so neglected, 

 in consequence of the claims of the bedders, that they present no 

 attractions at any season, and threaten to become a nuisance ; — then we 

 feel wrathful against the vitiated taste which aims at accomplishing an 

 impossibility, and in the effort loses the highest gratification it is pos- 

 sible to derive from the possession of a garden. We shall suppose now 

 that our readers are all reasonable creatures, and so far genuine lovers 

 of gardening as to be able to take dispassionate views of the bedding 

 system, and render it subordinate to the idea of a garden beautiful at 

 all seasons ; we shall suppose, in short, that they regard bedders as 

 made for gardens, and not gardens as made for bedders. 



At page 101 of last year's volume, in a paper which our bedding friends 

 would do well to read again, I hinted at the tendency of bedding prac- 

 titioners to develop more and more the most distinct and striking tones 



